Before the pandemic, traveling was a common pastime during holidays for a lot of people. Many people even fantasize about traveling the world. There is just something about being on the road in the rare quiet hours of the morning, watching the sunrise at the airport as the city wakes up, having the kind of breakfast that tastes of anticipation. Taking a look out the window as the plane takes off at the suffocating city life that becomes smaller and smaller until all that is left is beauty like a photograph. Then you are in the clouds and you are at peace.
With the current travel restrictions due to COVID-19, many people including myself are dreaming of traveling again. I have been reminiscing about the adventures at my favorite destinations– not just visiting well-known attractions and eating at local restaurants. I also take spontaneous trips to supermarkets where I look at every corner of the streets and the vehicles with endless wonder. One of my favorite destinations is London where I visited in 2017. I still think about the vibrant streets where the aesthetics of the old and modern architecture are layered. They are juxtaposed perfectly, complete with the bold red of the telephone booths and post boxes. I was filled with this childlike wonder when taking the tube there, looking around instead of down on my phone, studying the intricate Underground map and soaking in this unmatched excitement of wandering in a new city. Staying as a tourist for a few days or weeks means that I get to see only the best side of these places and romanticize them. Afterall, I like to view traveling as an art; the places that I have traveled fit more into my imagination than reality. They convince me that the world has much more to it than rush hour traffic, white noise and a computer screen.
During this pandemic, as the topic of traveling came up often in conversations with my family and friends, I took this time to deeply reflect about why I travel because I want to make the most out of my future traveling experiences. I came to the realization that many people travel to fit in with the crowd for the Instagram photos. The trouble with this approach is that society is essentially making decisions for us and I believe that we are meant to be much more than that. Another common approach is my past approach: the escape-from-reality approach. This only gave me momentary bliss as I always went back to the somewhat unenjoyable tasks and routines once I returned home. These approaches to traveling do not change anything for us: we go home to the same mindset of checking off to-do lists as well as counting down to the weekends and holidays.
Instead, I urge you to forget about traveling to the popular destinations or to the “Instagrammable” spots. Travel with your own style to places that most resemble the backdrop of your childhood dreams. Travel to find yourself in this vast world full of stories and experiences beyond your wildest imagination. Talk to some locals about the history of your destination, visit their markets and go to their recommended spots. Their ways of life came from generations of wisdom making art, food, architecture and beauty. This is all from what their environment and circumstances gave them. In Japan, people can make ten different dishes with the same fish because they are surrounded by oceans; in Cambodia, people eat stuffed jackfruits for dessert because their weather is perfect for these trees; in Russia, people play games and drink vodka in the bitter cold to keep themselves warm. While travel restrictions are still in place, you could learn about your own hometown or places nearby in the same way. Perhaps you will come home filled with new perspectives, memories and inspirations to look back on and carry you forward.
